Stuck With You
by Ice Silver Crystal
Summary: Sachiko invites Yumi to town to check out a new department store that recently opened, which has seven floors. It's a new store, so the elevators and such are in perfect working order, right? Wrong...
1. Entry I

MariMite

Stuck With You

Sachiko's Prologue

Ogasawara Sachiko was smiling faintly as she pulled a pale blue, woollen turtle-neck over her head. It was seven in the morning, and the seventeen-year old girl was already wide awake and showered. She did not stray that far from her normal wake-up time that morning, only getting up fifteen minutes earlier; but then, that was fifteen extra minutes making sure that she looked presentable for her petite sœur.

Her feelings for Fukuzawa Yumi had been growing since the girl had accepted her rosary last year. At first, her feelings were purely onee-sama-like – she was there to aid, guide, and mentor, to comfort and to assure, to give constructive criticism and to help her blossom into a mature, elegant young lady.

But then, somewhere inside her, something changed. All she thought about was Yumi, all she dreamt about was Yumi, all she wanted was to be near Yumi – to touch her, to caress her, to hear her sweet voice flowing from her luscious, pink lips. She found herself spacing out in class, daydreaming about her precious imouto. She would absentmindedly doodle Yumi's name in her subject books, only having to erase them later so that the teachers wouldn't get suspicious. She had already been questioned twice this term on her grades – they had fallen since her daydreaming had begun – and had the teachers hovering over her shoulder in worry.

It was quite a nuisance, really.

Still, she mused, pulling on a pair of jeans, putting up with lecturing teachers was a small price to pay for daydreaming about her beloved Yumi. Of course, her falling grades were an issue, so she had taken to revising late through the night to boost them back up, and took copies of Hasekura Rei's notes after each Yamayurikai meeting. That was a big help, and she was especially lucky that she and Rei were in the same class. Nevertheless, copying Rei's notes didn't help bring back the sleep she was losing. Bags had appeared under her eyes after just two late-night revision sessions, and Sachiko was dismayed at them. _It is unsightly for a lady to have such unattractive features. _She was quite lucky that Yumi hadn't noticed them yet – she would usually notice things like that right away, but for some reason, the girl's perceptiveness had lessened. Sachiko put it down to exams.

Yumi was the reason that Sachiko had risen extra-early on a Saturday morning. She had asked her if she would like to visit the new department store that had recently opened in Tokyo – Seventh Heaven, so named for the seven storeys and the 'heavenly' items on the shop floors. Personally, Sachiko thought the name of the store to be rather silly, but mused that she had no right to judge a store name without knowing the owner. It wasn't ladylike. Nevertheless, Yumi had mentioned the store once with excited eyes and a smile, so Sachiko decided to ignore the name of it and asked her to go with her. She would do anything to keep Yumi smiling happily.

It was ten past seven when Sachiko had completely finished preening herself. It was a little early, as she didn't need to be there until eight o'clock, but she would ask Ray to take her to the Fukuzawa residence anyway. Sachiko hoped that they wouldn't mind her coming sooner than told, but it was a ten minute journey, so by the time she arrived there, hopefully someone would be up to let her in. Yumi had told her once before that her mother was an early riser, and liked to sort out the bills and the paperwork on the first morning of the weekend. Still, Sachiko would understand if she had to wait. It was a Saturday, after all.

Keeping that thought in mind, Sachiko wondered through her wing of the mansion, descending down the stairs with natural grace. She walked through the main section of the mansion quickly, making her way to the phone in the hall. When she got there, she frowned at her idiocy – why hadn't she just used the phone in her room? Shaking her head at her stupidity, she picked the phone up and dialled Ray's number. After five rings, the phone was answered, and a gruff, masculine voice spoke through the line.

"Rushman here."

"Sorry to bother you, Ray-san, earlier than planned," Sachiko started, her tone apologetic.

"Ojou-sama! Good morning! And no, not at all, is there anything you need?"

"Good morning," Sachiko smiled, "Do you think you could come and pick me up now? Something has come up, and I'd like to see Yumi as soon as possible."

"Of course, ojou-sama, I'll leave right away."

"Thank you, Ray-san."

Sachiko put the phone down, feeling satisfied. Ray Rushman was a pleasant, reliable American who had been found by her father whilst he was on business in New York. Back then, Ray had recently lost his job to a wealthy Asian business man, and as a result, his bitterness got the best of him, and he hijacked the car that Touru was waiting for. Touru had quickly realised that something was wrong when 'Takeda' started driving at one hundred-and-fifty miles an hour, screeching round ever corner.

Ray never told her the full story, and she tried her best to keep out of her father's way, so never had she learned the finer details. But from what she had concluded, Touru had gotten Ray to calm down somehow, and managed to rationalize with him. After the whole ordeal, Touru had been so impressed with Ray's ability to drive safely at such a high speed that he offered him a job as his daughter's chauffer back in Japan, with free accommodation. Ray had humbly accepted the offer and moved to Japan, where he lived in a posh apartment only five minutes away from the Ogasawara Mansion.

Sachiko's thoughts were interrupted when a butler came into the room and announced that her ride was here. Picking up her shoulder-bag, she left the hall with excitement in her wide strides, a small smile of anticipation on her face as she slid into the back seat of the car, with a little feeling in her chest telling her that today would be an important day for her and Yumi.

* * *

Okay!! Well, this is the first prologue of Stuck With You (obv). I know that the poll results say that Puppy Love was the most wanted, but I added the votes in reviews and PMs to the result, and SWY came out on top, so I hope that's cool with everyone.

Stuck With You... well, I don't know how long it's going to be yet, but I plan to switch the P.O.V in every chapter from Sachiko to Yumi. So Yumi's prologue comes next and then we progress from there! =]

Something that I forgot to mention in ACTR: the name ideas for Eriko's family. Nobody knows what Yamanobe-sensei's first name is, so I looked up his voice actor - Eiji Itou. So that's where Yamanobe's first name comes from. Also, their daughter, Tsuta. Tsuta means 'ivy' in Japanese, and I named her so because I was humming _The Holly and the Ivy_ at the time when I wrote it. Deep stuff going on here, people!

Also, who has started watching the fourth season? I saw the first four eps yesterday and I absolutely _cannot_ wait for the next one! Fantastic stuff. The opening sequence rules as well.

Oh, and I found a bunch of MariMite cursors online, so if you want a Sachiko or a Touko on your computer, ask me for the link =] Unfortunately, there is no Eriko or Kanako, but there is a Mami.

...I'm blabbling. Please review! I'll give you cookies if you do! Chocolate chip ones! xD


	2. Entry II

MariMite

Stuck With You

Yumi's Prologue

"Yumi-san, your brain is melting…"

The voice echoed loudly around the room, bouncing off of each of the six walls, ricocheting over the freezing Fukuzawa Yumi's head.

"Yumi-chan's face is like a rollercoaster of emotions!"

It was different voice now, an older one with a mirthful tone to it. It too made a round around the ice walls, before fading into nothingness. Yumi whirled around, trying to find the source of the voice. "W-Where are you?" Her teeth chattered, her hand outstretched, "What is this place?"

"You don't know where you are? I thought it would have been obvious, but then again, I _am _talking to the ditz who tried to be a sœur to my onee-sama." Another new voice, younger than the first two, with a pompous air surrounding it, came from the left. Yumi didn't recognize it.

The brunette turned desperately, "Where a-am I?!"

The space that Yumi was standing in was like a pure-white 'house of mirrors'. The six walls (well, slabs of ice, really) were around nine foot high, looming menacingly over the brunette's head as she stood in the middle of the room. They seemed incredibly thick, like they were unbreakable, but Yumi wasn't foolish enough to ram them to find out. If she was going to get out of here, she wanted her shoulder to still be intact when she did. Ice of that enormity looked extremely tough and extremely cold. She would get even colder if she even took one step closer, let alone ram them..

Yumi was currently in this ice-prison standing in just her blue tank top and the ankle-length pyjama bottoms that she had gotten last Christmas from her European cousin. How she even ended up here (where ever _here_ was) in these clothes was a complete mystery to her.

The sixteen-year-old girl frantically rubbed her arms to try to generate some warmth as the chill crept through her few layers of clothing, seemingly seeping into her bones.

"Y-Y-Yoshino-s-san?" Yumi shook as she called out to the first voice.

"Yumi-chan, you didn't look after her, did you?" Yet another different voice, this one sounding far more mature than the other three, "The only thing I ever asked you to do was look after her. And you couldn't do that."

Yumi turned to the right, where the voice came from, but found nothing expect the pure-white ice staring right back at her. "Y-Youko-sama?"

"Could you not have done that one thing, Yumi-chan? It wasn't too much to ask, was it? For Sachiko's well-being to be left in your hands? I didn't think so, and yet you failed."

A frozen wind picked up at her harsh words, and Yumi shivered, her eyes welling up with tears, not knowing if the cause was the wind or the cruel voice. "Are you really worth Sachiko's time, Yumi-chan? Do you deserve to walk around with a free smile on your ever-changing face when Sachiko is withering inside? I should just leave you here to freeze."

Yumi was crying. Tears poured silently down her face at the older girl's words as each one carved large gaping holes in her heart. Of course, somewhere inside of her unconscious mind, she knew that the real Mizuno Youko would never say such things to her, but that didn't stop her hysteria. "If Onee-sama…" she moved her hands to try to stem the flow of tears, but they seemed unstoppable, "I-If Onee-sama would b-be happier without m-me, I-I would gladly g-give up my… my life," her voice rose in pitch as she struggled to get the last two words out.

Yumi's arms wrapped themselves around her abdomen as she sank to her knees on the icy floor, trembling with sobs and the cold. "I-If Youko-sama thinks it w-would be… b-best for me not to b-be in… Onee-sama's life… t-then take me o-out of i-it. I only w-want her to be h-happy."

She could practically hear the gleeful smile in the fake Youko's face as she whispered "Excellent." The wind picked up speed and dropped temperature immediately, circling around the unprotected girl with such fury that in a matter of seconds Yumi's face was the same colour as the ice surrounding her. Her mocha-brown hair whipped across her face angrily, striking across her cheeks with an impossible force. She closed her tearful eyes at the pain, desperately wishing it all away, but at the same time accepting that it was her punishment for not taking care of her onee-sama. _This is less than what I should get for neglecting her like I have_, Yumi thought. And with that thought in mind, she let her body go; she surrendered to the wind entirely. It dropped even lower in temperature, and Yumi's brain began to shut down, the last thing she would ever think of was her onee-sama's happiness.

Yumi was almost completely gone when the wind abruptly stopped; it suddenly felt like she was being wrapped in the fluffiest, warmest duvet that had ever been created. It was enveloping her, hugging all the right places, moulding itself to her body, entirely shutting out the wind as if it had never existed.

Tiredly, with extreme effort, Yumi's eyes started to open. Colour returned to her cheeks, and her fingers were much warmer. She mumbled slightly in confusion when nothing new was around her – the ice was still there, but for some reason she couldn't feel the cold. _What…?_

When she tried to stand up, a gentle force held her down, and a silky-smooth voice teased the flesh of her ear, murmuring in its velvety tone – "My life has no meaning without you, Yumi."

XOXOX

Groaning, Yumi's brown orbs flicked open, meeting mirthful sapphire ones staring back lovingly. And, in that same soft manner, the owner whispered, "Good morning, Yumi."

* * *

Well, hello all! I hope I didn't make you wait too long for this =]

I don't really know where the dream sequence came from - I know i got the house-of-mirrors/ice thing' from naruto (the only good thing that show has shown to me) and I gained a lot of inspiration from the Twilight series, so that might have added something to it. Bah.

Anyways, please review to let me know what you thought! I can't tell if readers like it if they don't let me know their thoughts. I'm not psychic =P Thanks to all of you who reviewed the first chapter! You have no idea what it means to me to get reviews =]

Next chapter we stay locked behind Sachiko's shoulder! Look forward to it!


	3. Entry III

MariMite

Stuck With You

A light spring was in Sachiko's step as she weaved her way through the busy crowd of Tokyo, a small smile on her face as Yumi followed behind her. She had been quietly looking forward to this little trip for six days, trying to contain her excitement inside of her, so as to not let Rei gain three weeks worth teasing ammunition. But now that the day was finally here, and she was finally here, finally on another date with Yumi, the excitement got the better of her and her smile spread into a dazzling grin. She wasn't conscious of the passers-by who stopped in their tracks when the raven-haired beauty walked past them, their jaws hanging open in astonishment, eyes wide with wonder and their bags falling out of their slack arms. She also wasn't conscious of the glare that Yumi sent to every one of those people.

Sachiko paused as she came to a pelican crossing, waiting for Yumi, who took two steps to reach her side. Once she stopped next to her grande sœur, she shot her a small smile as she readjusted the position of her shoulder bag. Then, with a content look on her face, she stood still, waiting for the traffic to stop. Sachiko, with a small smile of her own, reached for Yumi's hand, intertwining their fingers. Yumi turned to look at her with a happy but confused look, and Sachiko said, "I know it's just a shopping trip, but thank you for coming with me today, Yumi."

Yumi just squeezed her fingers gently. "I wouldn't have missed this," she spoke, her cheeks tinted red, "We don't go out together enough. I'm glad that you asked me to come."

"Of course," Sachiko smiled, slightly stunning Yumi with her sincerity.

The traffic lights finally turned red and the cars pulled to a stop. The little green man lit up and the throng of people around the Chinensis pair began to move across the road. Sachiko grinned at Yumi once more, and started walking forward, tugging on Yumi's hand. The two walked in comfortable silence as they paced towards Seventh Heaven.

XOXOX

"Ara… It's a little bigger than I imagined…" Sachiko gazed in awe at the humongous building. Tall buildings did nothing for the seventeen year old, as she felt that they could quite easily just fall due to the weight – how could their structures possibly support their massive weight? – and they always seemed to loom over her menacingly. It intimidated her a little.

As the name implied, Seventh Heaven stood seven stories tall, each floor lined with rectangular glass windows which acted as walls. It was, by far, the largest department store in Tokyo, and it looked to be the most modern as well. The logo for the store was of an electric blue colour, with a martini glass after the last 'n' and a yellow halo over the first 'e' of Heaven. It looked inviting.

"It's not called Seventh Heaven for nothing," Yumi agreed, staring at the top row of windows in wonder, "It must have taken ages to build…"

"I'm glad I wasn't on the building team," Sachiko smiled at herself, "I think I would have passed out after the third floor was complete."

Yumi suddenly turned to her, her porcelain face panicked, "Oh no! I completely forgot about your vertigo!" She said quickly, alarm in her mocha eyes, "Are you sure you'll be okay? I mean, I could always come with Yoshino-san or Shimako-san another time, it's no bother, and I don't want you to feel pressurized into coming. Oh, no…" She put her hands on her cheeks, looking away from her sœur, "I can't believe I forgot! It's so shameful…"

Sachiko chuckled, prying away Yumi's hands, replacing them with her own, forcing the girl to look at her.

"Yumi," she smiled tenderly, "I wouldn't have come if I didn't think I could handle it." She paused, thinking. "Well, no, I would have come anyway. But we'll be inside the whole time, so I just won't look out the windows. And you'll be with me," her blue eyes softened, her fingers caressing Yumi's cheek absentmindedly "so I know that there's nothing to fear."

"Onee-sama…" Yumi breathed, blushing lightly. She loved it when Sachiko talked like that – like she was the only person who could make her feel that safe. It made a small warmth spread all over her body, heating her right to the core, leaving her feeling all fuzzy inside. It was a feeling that only Sachiko could make for her. "I'll remind you of that when we go back to the amusement park," she smiled, pulling out of her reverie.

"Don't you dare, Yumi," Sachiko laughed, pinching Yumi's cheek lightly, "It doesn't apply to roller coasters."

"Well then," Sachiko stepped back, moving her hands down from Yumi's cheeks to her hands, "shall we go?"

Yumi grinned at her, and the pair walked hand in hand through the automatic doors and onto the ground floor. They were greeted by a large bright pink counter around ten metres in front of them, with two pathways veering off either side of it, with large blue arrows on them. The left one had 'Perfumes' written across it, whilst the right had 'Make-Up'.

The counter itself had a six shelves behind it, with various cosmetics and perfumes on them – the 'try-me' ones – and had two young women standing in front of the shelves in blue uniforms, the one on the right had soft lilac hair pulled to the right in a drill, Sachiko noticed, rather like Touko's. She had lavender eyes, a content smile on her face, looked like she could be no older than fourteen, yet her eyes held definite knowledge and she had a perfect posture, which could hardly be said for the other woman. She seemed to be a great deal older than the lilac-haired girl, standing at around eighteen. She had been leaning against the counter, obviously bored, with her eyes shut and a disgruntled look on her face until the younger worker had murmured something to her and she snapped up with an energetic smile as the pair approached the counter.

"Hello there and welcome to Seventh Heaven!" The older girl spoke, her chocolate hair falling over her shoulders and she bowed her head courteously, "Is this your first time visiting us?"

"Yes, it is," Sachiko answered, brushing back some stray strands of raven hair from her eyes.

"Fantastic," the brunette smiled, her golden eyes shining with excitement, "then would you mind filling out a survey sheet as you go round the store?"

"Since we have only recently opened, it is in our main interests to gather as much data as possible from customers and clienteles, so that we may immediately start improving the outlet," the younger girl added in a soft but intelligent tone.

"So would you please take one of these?" The older employee picked up a sheet of paper, holding it out to the girls.

Sachiko, sparing a short glance at Yumi (who seemed amused at the girl's genuine enthusiasm) stepped forward to take the survey from the girl. Glancing over it quickly, she saw the typical questions on a survey: what gender are you, what age are you, what are your first impressions of the store, where did you hear about the store and so on. Silently, she folded the paper and placed it in her handbag as the girl looked at Yumi's hand which was still holding Sachiko's, unwilling to let go. A smile formed on the girl's face as she motioned to the perfumes behind her.

"Would you like to try a sample whilst you're here?" She asked Yumi.

Sachiko smiled as Yumi's eyes lit up excitedly. "Oh, may I?" She replied eagerly.

The lilac-haired girl giggled slightly at her response, "Of course," she took over from her co-worker, and turned to take a bottle off of the shelf, "This is my personal recommendation, La Muse. Would you like to try it?"

"Yes please!"

Sachiko was watching the brown-haired worker as the conversation was left to Yumi and the other girl. She saw the way her golden eyes softened as the youngest-looking of them happily squirted some liquid onto Yumi's wrist. _So, these two are also…_ She thought, recognising the fondness in the gold eyes, having seen it so much in her reflection whenever she thought about Yumi. It was the look of utter adoration. Suddenly, those amber eyes turned to look at Sachiko, who realized she'd just been caught staring.

"So, you too, huh?" the girl said with a knowing smile.

"Almost," Sachiko agreed, "But not yet where you are."

"Ah," she noted, frowning. Then, a happy smile came onto her face, "What if you try _my_ recommended perfume? That's what started us off."

Sachiko, amazed at the girl's openness, and at her own, as she never talked about her and Yumi's relationship with anyone, smiled back at the girl.

"Thank you, that would be nice."

The girl turned around and picked up a red bottle designed in the fashion of a large robot. "This is Donnerschlag," she said, uncapping the lid and holding it out to Sachiko.

"Isn't that German?" Sachiko took the bottle and squirted twice onto her neck.

"Yes, it means 'thunderclap'," the girl nodded, "What do you think of it?"

The Ogasawara paused as the scent rose off of her neck, up past her nose. She was pleasantly surprised. "I like it," She confirmed, "I haven't tried anything like this before."

"Right?" The girl nodded, "It's totally unlike anything that's out at the moment."

Sachiko smiled and handed the bottle back to the brunette. She turned to look at Yumi, who had just finished her conversation with the other girl.

"Are you going to try one, Onee-sama?" She asked, joy evident in her eyes. Sachiko melted a little at the look.

"No, not today Yumi," She smiled back at her, "But how did you like yours?"

"Mm, I really like it!" Yumi grinned and extended one oh her wrists, "Would you like to smell it?"

Sachiko's cheeks turned a little pink, but she took Yumi's wrist and leant over it, inhaling the fragrance. Her cheeks turned redder as she realised that she could smell _beneath_ the perfume, and that she had breathed in Yumi's natural scent – strawberries – under the smell of the squirted-on peach and blossom. She could hear the brown-haired worker giggling at her, which she chose to ignore.

"That's rather nice," Sachiko said after pulling away somewhat reluctantly.

"Isn't it?" Yumi smiled happily.

"If you'd like to purchase La Muse, it is available at the perfume desk on this floor." The smaller employee cut in, smiling gently at the two.

"Yumi? Do you want a bottle?" Sachiko asked, thinking in her mind that she would buy it for her if she said yes.

"Hmm…" Yumi mused, a thinking expression crossing over her face, "maybe later on. Because I was thinking, Onee-sama…" she trailed off, blushing.

"Yes?" Sachiko wished she had a camera. That cute, humble expression of her petite sœur was just _begging_ to be captured forever, though she knew that a photograph would never to justice to the real thing.

Yumi turned to the side slightly, her gaze not quite reaching Sachiko's eyes. "I, well… Do you think we could… do what we did last time? I mean…"

"Feng shui?" Sachiko guessed.

Yumi's reaction was instant – her head snapped round and her eyes were filled with excitement as Sachiko obviously guessed right. "Yes!" Yumi smiled, "Is that okay?"

"Of course," Sachiko nodded, and then teased, "I wouldn't want to disrupt your harmony with the environment."

And that gorgeous blush was back again, returning ten-fold. Sachiko felt her heart throb against her ribs painfully, and she then knew that all she wanted from life was to see Yumi's beautiful blushing face every single day.

Sachiko smiled, "Then shall we head to the top floor?" she turned to the Seventh Heaven employees, "Thank you for your help."

The two bowed to them, but as they started walking towards the elevator, the brunette quickly leant over the counter and caught Sachiko's wrist. "If it works out between you two," she whispered so that Yumi couldn't hear, "let me know."

Sachiko blinked once, then smiled and nodded. As she walked away with Yumi down the aisle, she heard the younger one say to the older; "A lady should really be more elegant," making her smile once more.

"You seem happy today, Onee-sama," Yumi's delicate words found her ears.

"It's hard not to smile when I'm around you, Yumi," came the swift, honest response, making the girl's cheeks turn red and her lips lift at the corners, "and it seems to me that we just made some new friends."

"Yes," Yumi turned to look behind her at the two girls now talking to the next customer, "I think so too."

Sachiko smiled down at the girl and interlaced their fingers as they stopped in front of the elevator. She then pushed the 'call' button, and shifted her weight onto her right leg as they waited for the lift to come down.

"It always makes me feel good when I make new friends," Yumi continued, "Every one of them is so precious to me."

"Yes, I know what you mean," Sachiko nodded, "I love every friend I have. But," she added, smiling wistfully, "I have to confess that I love someone more than the rest."

"… Onee-sama? There's someone that you love?" Yumi inquired quietly.

Sachiko just smiled mysteriously at her, not intending to reveal anything more on the matter. Yumi was about to ask more when a small _ping_ sounded and the elevator doors opened. The pair moved to the right to let out the three people occupying it, and walked in themselves, Yumi pressing the '7' button gently.

They stood side by side, hand in hand as the doors closed slowly, unbeknownst to them that those metal doors would change the course of their lives forever.

* * *

Well, there we have it. The first chapter of Stuck With You. I hope it meets everyone's expectations.

This chapter is dedicated to Rista - this reviewer's Poll Vote decided that SWY would be the first to be written. Kudos to her.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and put this on Story Alert so far! You're all brilliant x)

Also, a little challenge for you - the two employees are from a different anime, can you guess who they are? There are quite a few hints dropped in there.

Please, review and tell me what you think?


	4. Entry IV

MariMite

Stuck With You

Yumi was uncharacteristically quiet as the elevator doors closed and the metal box shuddered. Sachiko didn't know it, but what she had just said to the girl had struck a delicate nerve, and the younger Chinensis was having trouble getting the recently-formed frown off of her porcelain face.

_Why are you getting jealous?_ Something inside her asked in a stand-offish tone, _Sachiko-sama is free to love whoever she pleases; it has nothing to do with you._

_I know that! I know!_ Yumi thought back, her hand clenching into a fist, eyes closing in annoyance. _Leave me alone!_

_Just because you're in love with her, why does she have to love you back?_ It mocked, winding her up, _You have no right to get jealous._

_I _know_ that already! _Yumi snapped. She was getting irritated. _Go away, leave me be. I'm _going _to get through this by myself, I don't need you snickering in my head. Go away._

A light touch pulled Yumi out of her thoughts, her eyes snapping open. "O-Onee-sama?" She asked, looking at Sachiko in surprise.

Sachiko was frowning as her hand cradled Yumi's cheek, "Yumi, tell me what's wrong," She softly demanded, her blue eyes concerned.

"Eh? No, nothing's wrong," Yumi answered quickly, averting her gaze.

"Yumi, don't treat me as a fool. I know something is bothering you," she brought her free hand to Yumi's other cheek, gently tilting her face towards her, "Please let me in, Yumi. Don't keep me in the dark again."

Yumi leant into the warmth of Sachiko's palm, her eyes closing contentedly at the feel of her soft skin caressing hers. She couldn't really tell Sachiko that her problem was that she was in love with her – what on Earth would she think? Would she be shocked, surprised? Probably. Would she feel disgusted? Maybe. Would she want to break their sœur bond? Yumi honestly didn't know the answer to that one, but wasn't keen to find out. Their time together as sœurs was magical, and she didn't want it to end because of her more-than-sisterly love.

But before she could open her mouth to respond, the elevator gave an almighty shudder, making the two girls wobble on their feet, clutching onto each other's arm for support.

"What in the--" Yumi stated, looking questioningly at Sachiko's shocked face.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Sachiko murmured, releasing Yumi's arm and looking around. The green, luminous floor number above the closed doors read 6, but it was flickering, blacking out, "Oh no."

"Ssh," Yumi whispered from behind, gazing upwards, "Did you just hear that?"

Three seconds of silence passed, until something above the elevator groaned, and there was a horrid sound of metallic objects grinding together, as if trying to support something it couldn't bear the weight of. Yumi's beautiful eyes widened in realisation and she quickly dove toward Sachiko, pushing her forcefully into the corner of the lift, standing protectively in front of her. She took Sachiko's arms and wound them around her own waist, so that she would be able to hold onto something. The metallic groaning increased in volume. Hastily, Yumi pressed her palms tightly against the walls either side of the older girl, her footing widening to support that which she knew was coming.

"Y-Yumi?" Sachiko was too shocked to blush at the close proximity, looking down into eyes fierce with determination in slight fascination. Yumi had never been forceful with her before.

"Brace yourself, Onee-sama."

And then it happened.

A sudden jolt gave the two half-a-second to prepare themselves before the elevator fell loose of its metal bonds. With a gasp, Sachiko was flung forward, hitting Yumi's body, but the younger girl was concentrating too much on not falling over to help in any way. She huffed as she tried to stand her ground and not topple backwards; Sachiko's arms instinctively pulled her closer as she almost lost the grip on the cold walls. Their hair flew above them as gravity pulled them downwards, their bags also airborne. Yumi's eyes were snapped shut with focus as she struggled to maintain the tread on the floor. Her knees buckled as the elevator fell, wanting to give in and drop onto the metal floor, but at the same time feeling as if they were going to be lifted off of the bottom. Metal screeched against metal loudly, filling up Yumi's ears until she could hear nothing else.

A resounding _twang_ broke through the screech, like that of a taught rubber band, and the elevator abruptly jerked to a stop. It was then that Yumi crashed to the side, unprepared, smacking her head against the hard metal surface of the wall with a cry of pain.

After that, silence prevailed.

XOXOX

After what felt like hours, the two shocked girls were pulled out of their frozen frames, and for Yumi, it was painful.

She was standing in front of a shaken Sachiko, worried at the girl's petrified face, and when she'd moved to touch her, an insanely powerful wave of pain descended onto her, next to her left ribbon.

"Ahh!" Yumi exclaimed, her hands immediately rising to cradle her head. She stumbled to the side, holding her head in her hands as her vision went a little fuzzy. Her cry snapped Sachiko out of her shell-shocked state.

"Yumi?!" Sachiko quickly stepped forward to catch Yumi around her waist, to stop her falling over, "Yumi, what's wrong?!"

"My head…God, ow!" The younger girl complained mid-moan as her fingers brushed over a rapidly-forming bump. Her brown eyes watered as a jolt of pain hit. "Ouch, oww…" she whimpered, her eyes watering.

"You need to sit down, Yumi, before you faint." Sachiko calmly instructed, though inside there was inner turmoil, slowly letting the girl down onto the floor.

Yumi grit her teeth to stop more sounds of pain. Wordlessly, Sachiko knelt down beside her and undid both of Yumi's ribbons, letting her hair fall down loosely past her shoulders. Privately, Sachiko thought Yumi looked even more stunning when her hair was down, but now wasn't the time to voice those thoughts.

"Which side did you hit?" She softly inquired, as if a loud voice would cause the girl more discomfort. She brushed Yumi's unshed tears away before they had the chance to fall.

"This side…" Yumi mumbled, tilting her head towards the left, "Just in front of where my ribbon was."

Sachiko fell silent again as she threaded her nimble fingers through Yumi's satin-like locks, combing it to one side so that she could check that there was no blood coming from the wound.

Yumi was equally as quiet as Sachiko's fingers danced through her hair. Her focus moved from the throbbing bump to the feather-like touches, as she marvelled at the gentle caresses. Her vision was clearing a little – maybe Sachiko's fingers had healing magic in them. She giggled at the thought. But then an involuntary "Ouch!" was emitted when those slim fingers brushed over the bump, cutting off her moment of laughter.

"I'm sorry, Yumi." Sachiko apologized as said girl flinched, "I don't mean to hurt you."

She pulled her hand back and sighed with relief, "It's not bleeding," she smiled at Yumi, but then it turned into a frown as she added, "But you're going to have a very nasty bruise there."

Before Yumi could respond, an unknown male voice crackled through a speaker above them, "Are you girls okay?"

The two Chinensis looked at each other, and then to the ceiling. "Press the red button on the panel," the voice continued, "and I'll be able to hear you."

Yumi looked back to Sachiko's porcelain face quickly, and then winced as her head throbbed to remind her of her injury. She closed her eyes and inhaled to make the pounding go down, and then proceeded to look at her onee-sama. It looked like the older girl was remembering the situation they were in, and her anger was starting to emerge. Her blue eyes narrowed, her lips pursed and her breathing was uneven as she started for the panel. Sachiko's 'angry-face' would be able to stop an invading, spear-shaking army of the most fearless, courageous, dangerous men ever right in their tracks, Yumi mused. Not many people who went against Sachiko's fury escaped the ordeal with their mind in one piece.

Yumi slowly rushed to her feet as she thought of the peril the un-suspecting man would be in, feeling a little bad for him. "May I, Onee-sama?" She hastily asked, catching her sœur's wrist.

Sachiko's jaw set tightly, but she nodded.

_I think she knows her anger can get uncontrollable,_ Yumi thought as she stepped towards the panel, her head still throbbing, yet she didn't feel woozy anymore.

She pushed the red button, as instructed, and spoke into the intercom, "Hello?"

The man replied immediately, "Hey! Are you two alright?" His loud voice made Yumi wince slightly, but she ignored it.

"Yes, we're fine," She answered, keeping her eyes on Sachiko. She stood impossibly still, and her frown grew when Yumi gave her answer. She mumbled something under her breath in a frustrated manner, which sounded something like "The bump on your head says otherwise."

"What exactly happened?" Yumi asked as she reached for Sachiko, beckoning her closer. A relieved smile formed on her face as their hands came into contact with each other, and her pounding head dulled a little. _Maybe Onee-sama really does have healing magic… Or maybe it's just Onee-sama and the effect she has on me… _She stopped herself from continuing that train of thought before that voice came back and her headache multiplied.

"The metal bonds that lift the elevator broke," the man explained, sounding apologetic, "and you dropped several floors."

"Yes, I heard something above us groan before we fell," Yumi remembered, her eyes turning thoughtful as she played with the older girl's fingers in an effort to calm her down. It seemed to work a little, as Sachiko's blue orbs lost a little of their anger, softening. "So, how bad is it?" Yumi continued. She was surprised at how calm she was about the whole ordeal. Maybe her head injury was why she was composed. But that seemed a little silly. Injuries were supposed to hurt (which yes, this one did) and make you tearful, upset, and prone to overreacting.

"Well, the good news is that the emergency breaks kicked in," the man said, "They were designed for a situation like this. And they worked perfectly fine, but…" he trailed off.

"But…?" Yumi probed, anxious. Sachiko's brow furrowed as they waited for him to respond.

The man sighed, and Yumi imagined him to be running a hand through his hair in frustration, "But they didn't engage at the right time. They worked, but right now you two are stuck between floors two and three." He sighed again, "I'm sorry."

At his apology, Sachiko's anger instantly returned. "Sorry?!" She half-shouted through the intercom, making Yumi flinch, "This is meant to be a top class department store! You've barely been open a week! Just what exactly are you going to do about this?!" She slammed her palm onto the metal wall in irritation.

"Onee-sama!" Yumi protested, quickly lifting her hand off of the intercom button to hold Sachiko's. "Onee-sama, please…" Yumi gazed into the beautiful face which was purposely not looking at her, those endless eyes hidden by raven locks as the elder girl's face tilted downwards.

"I can't stand it…" Sachiko muttered, her hand clenching into a fist.

Yumi's eyes took in the frustrated stance her sœur was positioned in. She saw this side of Sachiko more often than most people, but it was still uncommon enough for her to be a little shocked by it. Her eyes widened as Sachiko's lip quivered slightly, and she immediately took the woman's cheeks in her hands. "Look at me, Onee-sama," she softly demanded. Then, when her sœur did not move, "Look at me," she repeated.

Slowly, sea-blue eyes turned to her, and Yumi stifled a small gasp as she saw that they were misted over, like they were gathering tears. As the salty water welled in Sachiko's eyes, a powerful wave of emotion came over the younger girl. She tenderly brushed the back of her hand against the smooth skin of the Ogasawara, holding azure eyes in a gaze full of care as she understood Sachiko's emotions.

Needing no invitation, Yumi moved her arms to around the girl's neck and pulled her close, standing on her tiptoes to rest her head on the taller girl's shoulder. The reply was instantaneous, as slender arms wrapped tightly around her back and came to the top of Yumi's neck in an automatic response, as if Sachiko were trying to mould Yumi to her.

"Onee-sama," Yumi breathed, stroking raven strands tenderly, "I'm fine. Really, I am."

"You're not, Yumi," Sachiko choked on her words, cradling Yumi's head, "you're injured. You frightened me; I thought you were going to pass out."

Yumi was touched by Sachiko's worry. She adored every part of her onee-sama, and the love and concern the older girl showed were two of her favourites.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Yumi soothed, "but this is no-one's fault. Okay? Please don't blame yourself for this, Onee-sama. It's just an unfortunate accident."

"I know, I just… I _hate_ to see you hurt. It hurts me too." Sachiko took a shuddering breath as she tried not to let the tears fall.

"I'm sorry," Yumi apologized again, sighing at herself, "I don't mean to hurt you," she mirrored Sachiko's words from earlier.

"Oh, Yumi, it isn't your fault," Sachiko immediately replied, the salty liquid beginning to drop at the thought of Yumi blaming herself. "Please, don't ever say that something like this is your fault." She pulled away slightly, moving her left hand to cup Yumi's cheek. "No one could have predicted this," she continued as two tears broke through their boundaries and fell onto porcelain cheeks, "but I… I…" She broke off, unable to say any more.

Yumi slowly brought her hands up to Sachiko's face, catching the right tear on her index finger, and then silently moving to the other cheek, catching that one as well. "Onee-sama…" Yumi whispered, gazing into Sachiko's blue orbs.

"I love you, Yumi." Sachiko whispered back, raising her hand to Yumi's, holding it to her cheek, "Don't scare me like that again."

"I'll try not to," Yumi smiled, leaning into the touch.

"Good," Sachiko's lips turned upwards and she stroked the younger girl's face briefly before pulling away. "I think I should apologize now," she stepped around Yumi and faced the button panel, "It wasn't his fault that we're in this situation."

Yumi nodded, watching fondly as Sachiko pressed the intercom button and said sorry to the man on the other end, her cheeks a little red from Sachiko's small proclamation of love . _I love you too, Onee-sama. I just wish you knew how much._

XOXOX

At least four hours. Yumi smiled a little at that earlier piece of information. She and Sachiko were trapped in an elevator for _at least_ four glorious hours.

Whilst her Onee-sama seemed frustrated at the news, Yumi was elated. Sure, she was planning on spending the day with her anyway, but now there was no shopping to do, no distractions, no interruptions of their time together. _No onlookers either…_ she thought, but immediately shook that idea out of her head. True, Sachiko had gotten the intercom man (who was apparently named Takeda) to turn off the CCTV, but she did have to threaten him with her name to do it.

"_It's a breach of protocol!" Takeda argued through the intercom._

"_I don't care what it is," Sachiko snapped – she was really getting annoyed with this man, "If we are to be stuck here for four hours then I will not have those four hours watched on camera! This is not an episode of Big Brother! I am Ogasawara Sachiko, and I will personally make sure you are fired from this store and never hired again by any other if you don't turn it off!"_

At that point Yumi had intervened and said to Takeda that submission was always the best course of action for men. Yumi had to explain that the Ogasawara's _did_ have that sort of power, so it was really better to just do as Onee-sama had said. After a bit of grumbling from Takeda, threats from Sachiko and sweet-talking from Yumi, the man had relented and promised them that he had turned the cameras off.

As Yumi recalled the argument from her spot on the floor, she thought about what she had said about Sachiko. _Oh, gosh. I was really rude!_ She realised. _Is that why Onee-sama is so frustrated?_ She turned her mocha eyes towards her sœur who was standing with her arms folded and a frown marring her beautiful face._ She thinks I was insulting her!_

"O-Onee-sama!" Yumi quickly rose to her feet, snapping the older girl out of her brooding.

"Yes, Yumi?" The frown melted away at once.

"I, um," Yumi mumbled, staring into Sachiko's eyes.

"Is there a problem?" Sachiko asked, growing concerned.

"I…" Yumi bowed lowly, looking at the floor, "I'm really sorry for what I said back there, Onee-sama! I didn't mean any of it; I just said it to make that man agree with you! I didn't mean to offend you!"

Yumi's hair fell around her shoulders, and her fringe hung over her downcast eyes, so she couldn't see Sachiko's reaction to her panicked apology. She squeezed her eyes shut and clasped her hands together, hoping that her onee-sama would forgive her. For a few seconds she waited in agitation, until a small bell-like laugh rang through the elevator. Slowly, she opened one eye to peer up at the older girl. The other eye snapped open almost immediately after, as a warm hand cupped her chin and her face was tilted upwards.

"Oh, Yumi, you silly mare," Sachiko smiled, her eyes full of love and amusement, "I know that. I wasn't offended in the slightest."

Yumi's shoulders visibly relaxed, and a sigh of relief escaped her lips as she straightened up. "Good," she breathed, "I thought you were annoyed with me."

"Never," Sachiko grinned, stroking the back of her hand against Yumi's cheek.

Yumi blushed from the attention she was receiving from the goddess in front of her. She thanked Maria-sama that Sachiko came into her life when she did. She knew she didn't deserve the older girl, so again she whole-heartedly thanked the Holy Mother for giving her this blessing.

She watched with fascination as Sachiko's face turned worried as her hand travelled from the smooth skin of her cheek to the tender area of the bump emerging on Yumi's head. "How's your head now?" She asked softly, tracing the perimeter of the bruise.

"It throbs a little," Yumi admitted, "But I'm sure it will stop soon. It lessened earlier when you… when you combed through my hair," she finished softly, her blush increasing ten-fold as she found a seemingly interesting spot on the wall to stare at.

A moment of silence passed before Sachiko finally said, "Well if that helped ease your pain, Yumi, would you let me do it again?"

Yumi's eyes widened a little at the words. A little stunned, she turned to her onee-sama and nodded slightly. With the nod came a shy smile from the younger girl, and she watched Sachiko smile back at her before settling herself on the floor, leaning against the wall. Sachiko patted the floor in between her legs, indicating for Yumi to place herself there.

At the gesture, Yumi's face flushed a deep scarlet once more. She hesitantly took a step forward, a little unsure that Sachiko meant what she thought she did. Sachiko seemed to notice her tentativeness, and extended an encouraging hand to her. Sliding her hand into the soft larger one, Yumi knelt down and turned around, sitting in the 'v' of Sachiko's long legs.

Yumi's breath hitched as Sachiko's other hand snaked around her waist, joining the one at the front, tantalizingly brushing against her clothed skin as it went. Sachiko didn't seem to notice, and just pulled Yumi back against her chest.

Now leaning against the older girl, Yumi's tension evaporated completely and she totally relaxed as Sachiko's skilled hands left her abdomen and rested on her head, masterfully weaving their way through brown silky locks. She let out a sigh of content.

"I thought that maybe it would be best to be comfortable," Sachiko's velvet voice drifted into her ears in a soft tone, "seeing as for the next four hours or so I'm going to be stuck with you."

Yumi let out a happy "Mm," of agreement, resting one of her hands on her stomach, and the other one on Sachiko's left leg, and started drawing lazy circles there.

"And despite the circumstances," Sachiko murmured so lowly that Yumi had to strain to hear, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

Wachaa! And so, the second official chapter of Stuck With You is out! I hope you all like it, it took quite a while to write. Muchos thankies to my wonderful Beta who gave the all-clear for this chappy. I give you a huge chocolate brownie for that, Beta-chan =]

Congrats to the 8 people that got the challenge right: tears of the soul, 8D, random reviwer (brilliant name), lilgumba, Minagi Ito (massive fan, by the way), computerhog654, Madlax and Senshixxl. You all get a celebratory muffin. Totally correct, they were **Eclair** and **Lumiere** from **Kiddy Grade**. Awesome anime, for those who haven't seen it. Get past the confusingness and it's brilliant =P. For those people who guessed and didn't get it, good on you anyways =] You all get a consolation muffin XD

So, reviews? Reviews are very nice. I like reviews. And they're even better when I get them from you guys!! =D


	5. Entry V

MariMite

Stuck With You

The two girls sat in a comfortable silence as Sachiko thread her fingers in and out of Yumi's hair, weaving skilfully through silken strands whilst enjoying the feel of the satin-like locks as her fingers danced through them.

Yumi also seemed to be having a good time, as she kept emitting small noises of approval – a content sigh every now and then, a small moan occasionally as Sachiko's fingers proved how masterful they were.

_And they should be, _Sachiko thought with a bitter-sweet smile, _what with all the paper work Father has me do in preparation for the take-over of the company._

Ogasawara Tooru, whilst a good man in many ways, could not quite grasp the face that Sachiko had eight years until she was due to inherit Ogasawara Industries. The plan at the moment was that she would go to college for two years and then get married to Suguru. After that it was a long and unhappy life serving as Suguru's wife. Sachiko was hoping to delay the wedding for as long as possible – marriage meant conception within the first year to the Ogasawara elders. That was one road that the raven-haired beauty did _not_ want to travel down, and certainly not with her gay cousin.

Of course, that was a tad hypocritical of the young woman, but there weren't many other insults that she could use against the Kashiwagi. Immature? Not very often. Childish? That was the same as immature. A dunce? He certainly wasn't that. A playboy…? Well, if her assumptions were correct, then that he could be. Sachiko had heard from reliable sources that Suguru went to many love hotels and motels with different young men, only to leave in the morning with a very pleased smile on his face, like the cat who got the cream.

Anyway, the papers and documents of the Ogasawara clan stated that the heir would not inherit the corporation until the age of twenty-five unless the current leaders died. The papers also stated that the heir had to be married in order to claim the corporation. That last rule did not apply to men, which infuriated Sachiko a little, but she had no say over the matter. This was all decided for her. If she didn't marry Suguru then she wouldn't inherit the company which had been in her family for generations.

She was born to carry on the Ogasawara legacy. There was no other reason as to why she was conceived. To break the engagement with Suguru would disgrace her family's name forever, and she couldn't do that to her mother. No matter the reasons as to why Sachiko was born, she knew that her mother loved her dearly, and to see the look of disappointment on her face if Sachiko told her that the marriage was off… She didn't know if she could handle that. To honour her family and live a life as a caged bird, or to disgrace her family and spread her wings?

She didn't know which path to take.

Her heart was screaming to cancel everything Ogasawara-related and admit her love for Yumi, to live by her side if her feelings were reciprocated, and to be like any other woman in Tokyo. Her brain, on the other hand, was telling her that it would be an unrequited love and to forget about Yumi once the young girl finished school, to go ahead and marry her cousin to keep up the family tradition.

Sachiko mentally sighed. It seemed unfair to her for so much pressure to be piled onto a young woman of seventeen.

Yumi shifted, snapping Sachiko out of her thoughts. The younger girl wriggled slightly before leaving back completely and resting her head on Sachiko's right shoulder, her face tilted towards Sachiko's neck.

"Yumi?" Sachiko asked, blushing a little.

"A-Ano… you're pretty comfy," came the quiet reply. And judging by the warmth Sachiko could feel on her neck, Yumi was blushing too.

The two sat for a while more, enjoying being in each other's presence when Yumi mumbled, "Something's different."

"What was that?" Sachiko asked, not hearing Yumi's incoherent sentence.

"I said 'something's different,'" Yumi repeated a little louder. She leaned closer to Sachiko's neck and inhaled. Frowning a little, she pulled the collar of the older-girl's turtleneck down, breathing in once more. Sachiko's breath hitched at the contact, her cheeks turning red at the touch, and she had to contain a miniature moan as Yumi's nose nuzzled the tender skin of her neckline. She prayed to God that Yumi didn't hear the low rumble in her chest.

When Yumi looked up at her and was frowning playfully, it was apparent she hadn't. A tiny sigh of relief escaped Sachiko's lips. She focused her blue eyes onto the mock-offended face in front of her as the younger girl exclaimed: "You lied to me!"

A flawless cobalt eyebrow was arched at her, "Excuse me?"

"You lied to me!" Yumi protested, "You _did_ put perfume on at that cashier desk, didn't you?"

Sachiko's jaw dropped a little in surprise. _Maybe she hasn't lost all of her perceptiveness after all._

"Your face says it all, Onee-sama," Yumi continued, straightening her face out into one of perfect strictness. If her eyes hadn't been shining with mirth then Sachiko would have felt a little intimidated at the look.

"My face reveals nothing to you," Sachiko turned her head away playfully, sticking her nose in the air as if she was better than the younger girl, "peasant." She added as an after-thought.

"Au contraire, mademoiselle," Yumi smiled, "Your face is but a children's picture book to me. And this peasant knows French, so show some respect."

Sachiko laughed lightly. It really was much too easy for her to let down all of her defences when she was around Yumi. She would tease endlessly, making the younger girl blush with her words. She would have mock-arguments with her sœur, exchanging playful verbal attacks with her until one of them gave up and laughed. She would find herself acting younger and more immature, as if she were a fourteen or fifteen year old whose conversations with friends always included sexual innuendos. She smiled a lot more, and the icy walls around her heart were never present when Yumi was involved. She would feel the increase in her heart rate when she was near her, and on more than one occasion had thought that her little infatuation would get found out as it was thudding so loudly. In short, Sachiko felt alive.

"I'm terribly sorry for my lack of respect, Peasant-sama." The raven-haired girl inclined her head slightly, "Can you bring yourself to forgive me?"

Yumi struck up a thinking pose, placing a finger on her chin and tilting her head upwards as if the ceiling would provide her the answers. Sachiko's heart fluttered again in her chest, and gave a small spasm of protest as Yumi moved out of the embrace and sat cross legged in front of her.

"Hmm… no," Yumi smiled playfully, "I think you should be punished instead."

_Punished... _Sachiko thought, subconsciously licking her dry lips, _I wonder what type of punishment she has in store for me_. She blushed as many different images came to her. Then, realising what her brain had thought, mentally reprimanded herself for having her mind in the gutter. As she fought down the red hue across her cheeks she spoke, "What kind of punishment will this be?"

Yumi smirked, "Well, I was thinking about making you perform the Caramelldansen," she mused.

_Caramell-whatty? _Sachiko's brows knitted together in confusion.

"But I thought you wouldn't know what that was," she looked at Sachiko's face and smiled, "and I guess I was right."

"You'll have to show me one day," Sachiko suggested, curious.

"Mm, I will," Yumi nodded, "It's really fun and the tune is really catchy, but if you do it for too long you get stomach cramps — hey! Stop trying to change the subject!"

Sachiko held her hands up in front of her, "I did no such thing," she protested her innocence.

"Of _course_ not," Yumi drawled playfully, "Heaven forbid the mighty Ogasawara Sachiko trying to talk her way out of something."

"You know, Yumi, you're being rather cheeky today," Sachiko noted, and smiled when she saw the younger girl's face freeze in a mask of shock.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Onee-sama!" Yumi stuttered, panicking, "I didn't realise, I didn't mean to offend you or anything, I mean--"

The raven-haired girl placed a finger on Yumi's lips, silencing any further apologetic rambles. "I was merely mentioning it," Sachiko said in a soft tone, watching how Yumi's eyes lost their frenzied state and returned to normal at the sound of her voice, "I wasn't reprimanding you."

"I'm sorry, I should have been more conscious of myself," Yumi murmured against Sachiko's finger.

"No," Sachiko answered, which made Yumi's eyes turn to her quizzically, "you should never have to feel conscious of yourself when you're around me, Yumi. If you had to force yourself to act differently around me than to other people, shouldn't that make me feel a little insulted?"

She said this in hushed tones, and moved her hand from the girl's lips to her cheek, cupping it tenderly.

"I… yes, you're right. Sorry," Yumi brought her hand up to Sachiko's, holding it to her cheek.

"Yumi…" Sachiko breathed, "What has brought this on? You have never been self-conscious around me before…"

"I…" Yumi looked away ashamedly.

Sachiko was worried. Had she done something inappropriate to Yumi to make her act that way? Why would she feel the need to be self-conscious, when Sachiko accepted her for everything she was and wished that Yumi would never have to change?

"Yumi," She said seriously, "have I done something wrong?"

The reaction was quick. "No, Onee-sama! No! It's not you!" Yumi protested, squeezing Sachiko's hand as if to doubly-reassure her.

Sachiko felt a little relief, but pushed it to the side for now. "Then what is it, Yumi? Everything is alright at home, isn't it?"

Yumi nodded and took Sachiko's hand from her cheek and held it, toying with her fingertips. "Yes, everything is fine. It's just… It's just that I have these… dreams."

"Dreams?" Sachiko asked, "What are they about?"

"I… They have mostly been about you," the younger girl mumbled, yet Sachiko heard.

"About me?" She asked quietly and a little dejectedly, frowning somewhat at the fact that she was the cause of Yumi's disturbance.

"Please let me explain," Yumi said quickly, noting Sachiko's upset. "I… It's…" She was hesitant.

"Yumi," Sachiko squeezed the girl's fingers in a hopefully reassuring manner, "Take a deep breath and tell me clearly."

Yumi did as she was told and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. Exhaling, her brown orbs were revealed and she spoke, "You leave me."

Sachiko blinked once. Twice. Three times. "My…" She murmured.

"You aren't actually there," Yumi continued, looking at the floor as she carried on, unconsciously gripping Sachiko's hand quite tightly. "There are people from the Yamayurikai there. Each time I'm in an enclosed space and don't know why I'm there, and then I hear Youko-sama, or Noriko-chan, and sometimes Touko. They say… horrible things that I know aren't true, but it's like I've become an insecure first year again. At the end, I just see you walking away, and no matter how fast I try to run towards you, I can't catch up." The brunette gave a small shudder that was barely noticeable, yet Sachiko's sharp blue eyes saw it, and a pang of pain shot through her chest.

"That's when I wake up," Yumi concluded, her eyes tearing up.

"Oh, Yumi," Sachiko squeezed her hand, "I would never willingly leave you. You know that, don't you?" She raised her right hand to Yumi's cheeks, wiping away the falling tears with the pad of her thumb.

"Yes, I do," Yumi said, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"Yumi, listen to me," Sachiko vaguely thought that what she was going to say next would embarrass the both of them, but chose to ignore that fact. "It would take far much more than words to take me away from you, Yumi." She frowned when Yumi still wouldn't meet her eyes. "_Listen_ to me, Yumi, please," She almost pleaded, desperate to get her point across, "I want to be by your side." A red hue appeared across her nose as brown eyes snapped up to meet her blue ones, "Yumi, do you understand me? I want to be by your side _forever_."

"O-Onee-sama…" Yumi stuttered, stunned. Then her eyes misted over again and she threw her arms around Sachiko's neck, crying quietly into her shoulder. "It's-It's the same for me!" She spoke into raven hair, "I just want to be with you!"

Sachiko's mind reeled at the words. _I just want to be with you!_ _I just want to be with you! I just want to be with you!_ They repeated over and over in her head. _She wants to be with me,_ she thought, and a beautiful smile spread over her face, _she wants to be with _me.

And then she caught herself. What was she thinking?! Her mind was overreacting, there was no way that Yumi would have meant what she thought she meant. She had just taken it the wrong way; they both meant different things when they said that.

She turned her attention to the object of her affection, "Yumi, don't cry." She pulled the girl away from her and once again wiped the tears away, "Don't cry," she whispered softly, stroking Yumi's porcelain cheek with the back of her hand tenderly.

"I-I'm sorry, Onee-sama. I seem to be very emotional today," Yumi murmured, staring into Sachiko's eyes.

"It-It's fine," Sachiko actually stuttered the sentence. The gaze which the brunette had fixed on her was so immensely _intense_ that she had almost lost herself. The thing about Yumi was that she had the stare of a child. She could unabashedly stare at you for minutes on end and think nothing of it; she would simply be intrigued, hence why she did it. But the person on the receiving end of that stare would feel these intrigued eyes upon them, and it could make them uncomfortable; make them shift around in their seat uneasily, their eyes looking at the girl once then pointedly away, and then back again, to wonder _what is she staring at?_ The kind of open gaze that could completely destroy one's defences; tear down any wall built up around someone's heart no matter how high the bricks went and no matter how concrete the cement was, leaving the person feeling that they have been stripped of all their outer skins, being left naked next to their weaknesses.

_Yumi… My one true weakness…_

As Sachiko continued to gaze back into Yumi's eyes, she vaguely noticed that her lips were dry. Unconsciously, her tongue darted out to moisten them, and she noted that Yumi's mesmerizing orbs left her own to look at her lips. Her heartbeat quickened. She stroked the soft skin of Yumi's cheek once more, lightly observing how the brunette leaned in a little to her touch.

Yumi was here - right in front of her, looking so utterly gorgeous with her tear-stained cheeks and her eyes racing with emotion. She was so close, and Sachiko was having great difficulty in stopping herself from leaning forward and closing the gaps between their lips. _You've held back for a year, Sachiko, isn't it time you indulged yourself?_ Her mind tried to nudge her forward. _I can't. I just…_ Her conscience attempted to steer her off of that path, yet struggled to do so.

Sachiko felt her eyes lid, and knew she wouldn't be able to hold off. _Yumi, move away before I destroy our relationship!_ - A desperate plea in the back of her head. But Yumi couldn't hear Sachiko's thoughts, and stayed still as a statue, her eyes flickering from Sachiko's lips to her blue orbs.

The raven-haired Ogasawara leaned forwards a little, her tongue moistening her lips once more in an act of nervous anticipation. Then, her lidded eyes slid shut as she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to her sœur's, thinking only one thing…

_Forgive me._

_

* * *

_

**Oohoo. There we have it. Sorry for not updating sooner, an unexpected boyfriend crept into the picture. I've also decided not to say to people 'I should have the next one up soon' because it most probably isn't going to happen. So unfortunately, the chapters will come when they come.**

**On ze other hand, any grammatical/vocabulary/spelling errors in this chapter are completely down to me. As my Beta didn't respond for a week or so I decided to just go and put it up anyway.**

**Thankyou to everyone who reviewed the last chapter ^.^ you're all awesome. Thanks!  
**


	6. Entry VI

MariMite

Stuck With You

There was something incredibly soft pressed against he lips. The softness moved against her lips slowly, and a glorious scent of lavender and something that she couldn't quite place wafted into her nostrils.

Coming out of her dazed stupor, Yumi focused her vision. She saw an Ogasawara Sachiko incredibly close to her face, eyes closed and head tilted slightly to one side almost as if she…

_Oh._ Yumi thought stupidly. _She's kissing me._

Realisation then struck her like lightning, and her eyes widened with shock. _Oh my stars! Onee-sama is kissing me! _She froze, her body so tense that she could have been mistaken for a statue.

_I…_she began to think, but Sachiko's lips pressed against hers a little harder, and everything faded to the back of her mind as her eyes closed on instinct and she started to kiss her back.

As one of Sachiko's dexterous hands came to rest on Yumi's shoulder, the other went to cradle the back of her neck, pulling the younger girl closer slightly. Yumi obliged, automatically shifting her lithe body so that she was in the raven-haired woman's lap. She slipped an arm around the slender neck in front of her and wove a hand into silk-like locks. Their lips stayed connected.

Yumi sighed contentedly into the kiss. Oh, her _lips_. Had she only known how good they felt, she would have kissed her a lot sooner. They were as soft as the petals of a rose, as gentle as the caressing breeze of spring, as tender and full of love as the person they belonged to. And still, they were so much more than that.

All too soon, in Yumi's opinion, Sachiko pulled away.

Slowly, Yumi's caramel eyes opened to reveal a stunningly beautiful sight – a heavily blushing Sachiko with lidded eyes, slightly messy hair due to her hand entangled within it, and her breaths coming out in short, silent gasps.

"I… I…" Yumi tried to form coherent speech, "That… that was---"

She never got to finish her sentence, as Sachiko's lips descended onto hers once more. Sparks of electricity raced through Yumi's body, flaring up her cheeks and energizing her lips. She responded with vigour, pressing herself as hard as she could against the older girl, who wrapped her arms around her waist in encouragement.

Bliss filled the younger girl from the core. It was as if she'd died and had gone to paradise, surrounded by lush fields of green and rivers of blue, with Sachiko stood on the top of a hill waiting for her, welcoming her to Heaven.

Again, oxygen got in the way and they pulled apart, breathing heavily.

"Onee-sama…" Yumi breathed, pressing her forehead against a paler one, panting.

Sachiko said nothing, but the arms around her waist and the look of utter adoration in cerulean eyes said it all. It was love.

An incredible kind of warmth filled Yumi as the thought entered her mind, and she closed the distance between them for a brief moment before caressing Sachiko's cheek, marvelling at how she leant into her touch. She trailed her finger down to Sachiko's lip, where she traced the outline of her mouth.

"Somewhere along the line, I fell in love with you," Sachiko murmured, kissing Yumi's finger tenderly.

"You have no idea," Yumi whispered back, before placing her lips where her finger had been.

-X-

After a while the two girls' emotions had calmed down somewhat, and they sat with each other, contentedly playing with each other's fingers. Yumi had a wide smile on her face.

"You're happy," Sachiko noticed with a small grin of her own.

"Of course!" Yumi replied as if the older girl was being ridiculous, "How can I not be?"

Sachiko smiled and squeezed Yumi's hands before she hummed, "To think that you felt the same way…"

"You're happy," Yumi joked, poking Sachiko's cheek.

"Of course, how can I not be?"

They laughed a little, grinning like fools.

"You know, I never let myself dare to think that you would return my feelings," Sachiko admitted lowly, "because if I told you and you didn't feel that way…" she trailed off.

"Then what was the first kiss about?" Yumi asked.

"It was an impulsive act, I couldn't help myself." Sachiko smiled. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

"But you--"

"Sometimes you're far too irresistible for your own good." At this, Yumi's face flushed red, whilst Sachiko grinned and leaned in to kiss her nose. Yumi's eyes crossed as they focused on Sachiko's nearing lips, making the blue-eyed beauty laugh and pull away.

"You're so endearing when you pull that face," Sachiko laughed as Yumi pouted.

"I thought you were going to _kiss_ me!" Yumi protested, turning her head away in mock-offence.

"Like this?" Offered Sachiko as she placed her lips on Yumi's cheek.

"No, silly, like this," hands came to hold Sachiko still as Yumi captured her lips with her own.

It was brief, and when Yumi pulled away Sachiko found herself blindly following her, wanting to feel her lips again. When her eyes opened, Yumi was smirking at her triumphantly.

Sachiko's eyes widened, "That was cruel."

"Well that's what you get for being mean to me." Yumi replied, before poking Sachiko in the cheek. She made to move away, but the older girl wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her back down.

"And where do you think you're going?" Sachiko asked.

"Um, to my bag?" Yumi replied, eyebrows rising.

"I have _not _finished kissing you yet." Sachiko declared.

Yumi's face exploded into colour, yet she laughed and kissed the other girl, marvelling at how well Sachiko's lips fit against her own; at how they tasted; at how they applied the perfect amount of pressure, of how _soft_ they were.

"Mm," Yumi murmured after they pulled apart, "I think I'm getting addicted to that."

"You wouldn't get a complaint from me if you were," Sachiko responded, smiling.

Yumi grinned and pressed their lips together once more before standing up and walking to her bag on the other side of the elevator. "I made some cupcakes yesterday, in case we got hungry today." She explained, grabbing a box of cakes out of her shoulder bag.

She went to plop herself next to Sachiko, rather than on top of her, but the other girl pulled her down again, until she was sitting sideways on Sachiko's lap.

"Let me keep you close," Sachiko mumbled, her cheeks turning a little pink, "I don't know when we'll get to do this again."

Yumi gave a sad smile in understanding. Given Sachiko's family and social circumstances, it didn't look likely that there would be much of a future for them…

Her cheerless smile completely disappeared at the thought, and a lump came to her throat. She loved her Onee-sama, more than anyone in the world, yet because they were both girls they couldn't be together. It seemed so unfair.

They couldn't control what gender they were born as, and couldn't control who they loved. How was that their fault? They couldn't do anything about it…

Tears sprung to Yumi's eyes and she looked away sharply. _I've cried too much today already,_ she thought to herself, but that didn't stop the water leaking from her eyes.

"Yumi?" She could hear the concern in Sachiko's velvet voice, "What are you thinking about?"

"I… This… This can never happen again, can it?" Yumi asked, voice trembling.

"You don't want it to?" Sachiko's voice was quiet, almost as if dreading the answer.

"I do!" Yumi protested, "I _love_ you, Onee-sama! But-But you're _engaged_, you're an Ogasawara, you're inheriting your family's company… Isn't-Isn't that what you meant?" She asked, seeing Sachiko's wide blue eyes.

"Of course not!" Sachiko responded, and Yumi recoiled slightly at her tone, "I thought you would have wanted to keep this low-key for a while. I never meant… Yumi, did you think I would have done what I have if I didn't intend to make this – us – a success?" She desperately took Yumi's cheek in her hand, tracing circles with her thumb.

"What… What are you saying?" Yumi asked quietly, searching Sachiko's eyes.

"I will _not_ marry Suguru-san. Not when I have you in my life like this. Do you understand?" Her voice was pleading.

"You…"

"I won't marry him, Yumi."

Shock registered across Yumi's face as this statement sank in. "You mean…" A dazzling smile started to form on her lips.

Relief spread across Sachiko's face once she knew Yumi understood her, and she continued tenderly caressing Yumi's cheek. "Yumi, I would give up everything for you. My status, wealth… my family. Yumi, you mean more to me than anything else in this world. I love you, I truly, truly do."

"Onee-sama!" Yumi threw her arms around her neck.

Arms immediately went to her back to support her. "I love you," Sachiko whispered into her ear, "more than anything."

Yumi nodded on Sachiko's shoulder, "I… Could you just say it… one more time?"

A soft smile came to Sachiko's face as she spoke, "I love you, Yumi, and I am not marrying Suguru-san. You're too precious to let go."

A smile crept onto Yumi's face as yet more tears came to her eyes. Except this time, they were tears of joy.

* * *

Hmm, I need to stop making Yumi cry. But it's just so nice writing Sachiko making her feel better!

Anyway, there is the poll back on my profile. I don't actually know why I took it down, but there we go... There are unlimited votes allowed (I think) this time, and more options to choose from. But, like, don't go choosing all of them cause there would be no point in voting. Lol.

Until the next time,

ISC


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